


facing forward

by ChemicallyEnhanced



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, Manga Spoilers, sappy sentimental shit, slight daisuga if you look through a microscope, the new year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 20:37:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5599996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChemicallyEnhanced/pseuds/ChemicallyEnhanced
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spring High is over, the year is ending, and there is only the ability to look towards the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	facing forward

**Author's Note:**

> Spring High starts in September, if what I've read is correct.

Funnily enough, they decided not to go to a temple that year, even though they could have used the prayers. They had won against Shiratorizawa, after all, during Spring High. Nationals were nearly upon them, and the only thing to do was to keep practicing and training until they were able to go all the way to the top.

If only the third-years weren't leaving right before then.

It was a sobering thought, and not just the ones who were leaving were thinking it. They'd just won against one of the most difficult schools in Miyagi Prefecture, and now their most veteran players were going to leave soon. It was not the kind of thing to be thinking about at 10 PM on December 31st huddled in between the aisles of Coach Ukai's shop hurriedly trying to look for "New Year's" snacks to share in the last few minutes of the year. But it hung heavy over all of them, anyways, and there was little spirited chatter about what the new year would bring them and more about the pressure wrought upon them by the impending event of Nationals and trying not to feel too sad about Asahi, Suga, and Daichi leaving for university.

Nishinoya stuck his head in the freezer to look for Garigari-kun popsicles, even though he knew at this time of night there probably wouldn't be anymore. For some odd reason, as he was staring at the third-years horsing around in another aisle, he'd felt such a strong wave of  _oh, it's really happening, they're leaving and--_ he just had to get rid of it somehow. And it was almost working, the cold from the freezer was numbing his thoughts away, so he stood up--no Garigari-kun popsicles there--and was able to breathe normally again.

 _They're leaving, they're leaving, they're leaving--_ "Hey, Ryuu, you look like you're thinking pretty hard over what flavor chips to get."

* * *

Hinata was a quivering mess inside. Sure, the exhilaration from winning the title of Representative for Miyagi Prefecture from Shiratorizawa and still hadn't quite worn off, and  _they were going to Nationals_ , something he'd been wanting for  _so long_ \--but right at that moment, he wasn't thinking of Nationals or even  _Japan_ (his nickname for Ushijima Wakatoshi) because he was too busy wondering what the next school year would be like. The school aspect of it didn't matter much to him--though he  _would_ like to pass at least--but the volleyball part of it certainly did. And with volleyball came the senpai third-years that he'd come to rely so heavily on for support.

It...kind of hurt to think they were leaving. He wondered who the captain for next year would be, and if he would be able to rally them together and bring their spirits up in even the roughest times like Daichi was able to, and what the team would be like without their dependable ace (even though he'd been wanting that position for quite a while already), and who would care for them in that close and personal way that Sugawara did. And Hinata wondered, and wondered, which only made his mind spin in circles, to think about something that wasn't solely about volleyball insomuch as the  _people_ he played the sport with.

"Oi, spacey-dumbass, stop thinking so hard or you'll break your brain," came a snarky reminder from Kageyama to  _come back to Earth, stop wondering so much about things that are so uncertain_.

"I'm not," Hinata muttered, riffling through the different-colored candies for the flavor he wanted. "Bakageyama," he added for good measure, though it wasn't said with as much conviction, something that unfortunately the dark-haired setter picked up on. Of all things he chose to be perceptive about...it really had to be something that Hinata did not want to talk about.

Kageyama, for all he was terrible at feelings and expression his emotions and...social cues in general, softened his perpetually-scowling face, just a little and leaned against the bin full of different candies. "So the third-years are leaving," he said, almost conversationally, which was impossible because Kageyama never said things 'conversationally'. He either shouted or growled out whatever he wanted to say. But this was...different.

"I know. What about it?" Hinata tried not to let it get to him, because somewhere along the way, Karasuno's third-years had become his friends as well as his teammates, and it hurt more he let on.

"Who do you think's going to be captain next year?"

Hinata shrugged. "I don't know. Ennoshita? He seems like he'd be a good captain. He can put up with Tanaka-senpai and Nishinoya-senpai."

He could feel eyes boring holes into the side of his head. "You're acting weird."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, dumbass!" Kageyama scowled--Hinata could just  _feel_ it. "Like...not yourself." One...two... "Is this about...them leaving?"

Got it. Kageyama was surprisingly conscious of Hinata's thoughts tonight. Maybe they had a deeper connection that he'd believed.

"So what if it is?" Now it was Hinata's turn to glare down at the candy like it had done him a great wrong. He didn't like feelings, besides the ones that volleyball gave him, he didn't like feeling...sad or whatever about things, most of all  _people._ It was hard, and caused him more pain in the past than he'd needed. "That doesn't change how we play volleyball, does it? We're still going to Nationals and we're still going to beat everyone there and..." He clenched his hands into white-knuckled fists, hating the sadness rising up within him at not playing with Daichi anymore, not playing with Asahi, not playing with Sugawara. He glared up at Kageyama like it would beat down these horrible feelings and took a slightly shaky breath, already feeling a bit more at ease seeing those sharp eyes and equally as sharp expression directed towards him.

Kageyama looked at him, almost in sympathy if it could be called that, but he only sighed in that irritated way he always did around Hinata and managed, "We'll win at Nationals, then. And if you want to be so sentimental about it all, then you can say you won for two things--you, and them."

It didn't quite make sense to Hinata, but if Kageyama was saying something so meaningful and deep like that, then he wasn't going to question it. But it made him feel better, thinking about winning for the people who helped shape him into the volleyball player he was up until then. Of course, he still wanted to win for himself and then against  _Kageyama_ later in life, but...still. It was a nice thought.

"Okay," he answered, smiling that determined smile of his, already excited about how they would practice for Nationals. "Okay."

* * *

Coach Ukai kicked them out half an hour later, when he decided that enough was enough and they should all go home because it was 'so damn late already'.

They went to a ramen shop instead, one that fortunately was still open even at this late hour. None of them were quite ready to part each other just yet, even though they hadn't said as much in words. Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Daichi each ordered a bowl of ramen and some tea, mostly just to pretend that they were there to actually eat--in Daichi's case, he was, since he loved shoyu ramen anyways. Asahi normally would have ordered tonkotsu ramen, but he was feeling slightly queasy and didn't want to risk it.

Surprisingly, they were okay. Tanaka and Nishinoya were still their mischievous, goofball selves with Hinata trying to join in and Kageyama calling him 'dumbass' every time he did something stupid; Suga and Daichi were in a quiet conversation about whatever they always whispered about; and Asahi was laughing nervously at the second-year's antics--nervously, but still good-natured. For the meantime, the six of them--the six of Karasuno's Boys Volleyball Team that were arguably the closest--were okay.

"I think that's a good choice, Daichi," Nishinoya heard Suga saying over all their usual noise.

"What's a good choice, Suga-san?" Noya asked in all his lack of personal privacy, and everyone stopped talking immediately to turn towards the three of them.

Suga only smiled at each of them. "Ennoshita as next year's captain.

Nishinoya and Tanaka loudly proclaimed their agreement while Kageyama sent a silent eyebrow towards Hinata for being so accurate, and Asahi quietly--quietly next to Nishinoya and Tanaka--added in his opinion that 'it was sort of his suggestion but it was only that and apparently Daichi and Suga took his advice'.

"Alright, be quiet," Daichi scolded, somehow still able to assert his authority over all the ruckus. "It's still not completely certain, but he is the best choice as captain--in the opinion of another."

"Well, of course, if he can control those two," Kageyama said under his breath, pointedly looking towards the two noisy second-years. He didn't think anyone heard him, anyways.

Only Suga gave any indication, but he merely glanced over sternly before raising up his cup. "Why don't we toast, to the new year?"

Daichi raised his as well, sending a smile over in Suga's direction for the good idea. "And to the future, to what's ahead of us, as well."

 _Let's win at Nationals,_ were what they were all thinking as they all lifted their respective cups and clinked them together, all wanting to stay in that moment, to stay together. "Kanpai!"

It wasn't much, but in that quiet ramen shop at 11:07 PM on December 31st, hearts full to bursting with ambition for the new year, it was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just--This made me really sentimental, tbh.  
> Happy New Year's, everyone, and may you look forward to a better year in 2016, and a better future.


End file.
